United Hospice of Rockland (UHR) Healing Hearts' Memorial Rock Garden Event and “Grief Through the Eyes of a Young Person” photo exhibit was held Wednesday, June 20th at the Hospice Center in New City.
Children, ages 4 -18, participating in the Healing Hearts program, "planted" their personalized hand-painted rocks in the United Hospice of Rockland Children's Memorial Rock Garden. During the ceremony, the children also had an opportunity to talk about and memorialize their loved ones. Their rocks will permanently adorn the rock garden.
R.J. Lewis entertained with magic and comedy and there was face painting and refreshments. Photos taken by Healing Hearts participants ages 10 and older were exhibited in the main conference room at the hospice center. The children had been asked to photograph anything they saw as “grief.”
Healing Hearts, a family bereavement program of United Hospice of Rockland (UHR), provides the time and continuity necessary to enable children, teens, and adults to progress at their own pace through grieving and healing. Designed for children and teens, ages 4 to 18, who have lost a loved one, groups are organized according to the ages of the children and their developmental levels. A group for surviving parents or guardians is held concurrently. Grief support groups are held on an ongoing basis during the school calendar year and are facilitated by the program coordinator, certified social workers and trained volunteers. In view of the difference in intensity and duration of grief for each individual and family, children and teens may choose when to start and when to stop attending. The average length of attending groups is one year but it varies greatly from a few sessions to 2-3 years.
Healing Hearts is funded in part by: Orange and Rockland (O&R), A Little HOPE, Inc., Athelstane Lodge #839 F& A.M. of Pearl River, NY, and Reinisch Foundation. UHR support groups and bereavement programs are held in the Provident Bank Hope & Healing Center, 11 Stokum Lane (off South Main Street), New City and are supported in part by The Jeffrey David Walerstein Fund for Bereavement. Anyone who knows of a child or family who might benefit from this program is urged to call Sharami Kerr, Ph.D. coordinator of the Healing Hearts Program, at (845) 634-4974.
United Hospice of Rockland (UHR) serves as a community resource for bereavement support, palliative care, and information about end of life issues, leading the health and human services community in improving the provision of care to those affected by serious illness. Founded in 1988, United Hospice of Rockland is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and meets the Standards for Charity Accountability of the Better Business Bureau, Inc. In addition, UHR received a third consecutive 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator. UHR's mission is to enable patients with advanced illnesses to live in comfort, with dignity, and surrounded by those they love. When time matters most, UHR provides care, comfort and improved quality of life to individuals and their families and offers compassionate support to members of the community who have experienced the loss of a loved one. For more information, call 845 634-4974, write to United Hospice of Rockland, 11 Stokum Lane, New City, NY 10956, visit www.hospiceofrockland.org or fax to 845 634-7549.
